The Hindu

Interview with Phoolan director Richie Mehta and actor Sneha Kumari | The Hindu | TIFF 2026

Phoolan | Director Richie Mehta, actor Sneha Kumari, and Shilangi Mukherji, Director & Head, Amazon Prime Video SVOD business, India, in conversation with Meenakshi Shedde at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026 International Emmy-winning filmmaker Richie Mehta, known for the popular series Delhi Crime and Poacher, returns with Phoolan, a Hindi-language historical crime drama that premiered in the Special Presentations programme at the 51st TIFF. Rather than a conventional biopic, the film focuses on a tense 48-hour siege in the life of Phoolan Devi, the dacoit-turned-politician. Based on Devis autobiography, I, Phoolan: The Autobiography of Indias Bandit Queen, it explores the circumstances that shaped her transformation from an impoverished teenager into a figure of resistance and notoriety. Sneha Kumari makes her screen debut as Phoolan. The film will stream on Amazon Prime Video. Meenakshi Shedde, is the senior programme advisor, South Asia, at TIFF.